Comfort dogs

sciencegal

That is nice Warrior woman. I am glad Mr. Yellow Kitty is still in the spot that he loved. So sorry for your loss.

Warrior_Woman

And the good news is that I have a break in treatment and I'm back to running on the trails with my hunting dog.  We did 6 miles yesterday and then she slept in the sun all afternoon.  We're heading out again now.  I'm 4.5 mos. PFC and glad to be making a come back with my best girlfriend.  

And thank you, Sciencegal.  

farmerlucy

WW -Woo Hoo! I'll bet that felt great! Congrats!

Dogsneverlie

HOW is it possible that I have not been to this wonderful site?  I so look forward to reading all the previous posts and getting to know you and share our pet family with all of you!

Farmerlucy - look at your crew!!!!  Love them, actually love all pets out here!!!! 

WW and Monis - it is so heartbreaking when we have to be the brave ones and take care of our babies.  Over the past few years, we have lost three golden retrievers to various cancers and two cats.  Every one hurts just as much as the day we brought them in.  I have so many stories that I'll have to do one at a time and introduce you to our family.

Monis - we have a similar cat story!  When we lost Daryl and Jasper (2 maine coons) within three months of each other, we were so devastated that we said NO MORE KITTIES.  After two months, our home felt so empty, even with our three goldens.  Something was just "off balance".  Over the course of three months, we rescued FOUR ADULT CATS!!!!  How funny is that....we went from NO MORE KITTIES to four.  I'll start with their photos for all of you.

This is Sophia.

This is Toby (22 lbs of LOVE)

This is Brista - the smallest and yet she RULES the house....even we are afraid of her....lol

This is Socks

Spookiesmom

bobogirl

OMG, I have been behind in my reading, but I am laughing and crying looking at pictures of kitty porn (Toby) and thinking about Mr. Yellow Kitty.  Warrior Woman, sending you gentle hugs.  Gentle hugs to all of us who lost fur children. 

Wish I could post pictures but I do not know how!  Farmer lucy, your crew is just adorable.

Hey there Science gal!  How you doing?  XX

farmerlucy

DNL - love love love your kitties! They do look like THEY are in charge.

Teka - love the starter kit!

Everyone - Hope your fur babies are enjoying the summer! 

glennie19

DOG PEOPLE!!

hello,, Ava and I would like to join you.

Ava is the one with the big tongue!  LOL!

bobogirl

I will vouch for Glennie's Ava -- she is adorable and a very good dog.  I cannot, however, vouch for Bobo.  He is not really a good dog.  Unless you have a treat in your hand.  Even then he is not a good dog, actually.

farmerlucy

Hi Ava! Woof! Woof!

and glennie!

LLizz

i went doggy shopping to try to find a dog to keep me company during my treatments.  We are not sure if this is a silly idea or not.  It might be overwhelming.  It might be great.  I think it would need to be the right dog.  We don't want to rush it.

farmerlucy

Hi llizz - My most comforting dog is Jazzmin. She is about 8 years old, white faced, overlooked at the rescue for a couple years, and was then in a foster home for a year. The foster parents were able to tell me all about her habits, so I knew she was calm, well-behaved, housetrained, non-destructive . . . perfect. A local rescue could help you find a fur-baby to walk alongside you in this. Hugs to you. 

glennie19

LLizz, I think a dog is a great idea. I would just suggest a slightly older dog,, not a un-housebroken puppy,,, to ease the transition. A new dog will have a couple of accidents as he/she acclimates to a new home,, but has the basic concept down of going outside.  9 months old, at least,, in my opinion!!  And older dogs are great too. Calmer,, not as high energy. 

Warrior_Woman

You know you spoil your dog too much when you go to the pet store to buy a new overpriced toy only to discover she already has that one.  Yep, bought the same toy months ago.  

glennie19

ahhhh, what a cute pup!

lyzzysmom

On the subject of service dogs, I was at a demonstration by an assistance dog trainer recently who absolutely stressed the point of never touching them when they are working. If I had a service dog I think I would put something like "don't touch, I''m
Working" on the vest. If that didn't work I would complain to the owners or the staff in the store but that is just me. It awful that
anyone would have to leave a store in a wheelchair because of other
dogs.

We always keep our non service dog Miss Lyzzy on a short leash in stores where she is allowed so she can only go to people or other dogs if invited. She loves her doggy day care where she goes if we both have to be out for more that a few hours but is quite reserved outdoors with strangers. If she gets too much attention she will jump up to ask her dad, or me if he is not there, to be picked up and carried like a small child. She's only 25 pounds but that can get heavy! My husband was looking for  a front carrier for her but they don't make them for dogs her size! He buys her more toys than his grandkids! Yep we spoil her.

farmerlucy

ww - What a darling baby! What kind of dog is she? Looks like there is a hound in there somewhere.

IM - What a sweet face! Makes me just want to kiss it. We bought a LL Bean child carrier at Sal Army for the granddaughters.  I was thinking of putting a beagle in it. I can picture their legs hanging out of the sides. They'd probably love it!

Dogsneverlie

I love all these pet photos! 

Bobogirl - I can't stop laughing at your kitty porn Toby comment - - HE IS ALWAYS LIKE THAT!!!  Maybe because he is the only male cat in the lot???

We are down to two golden retrievers now.....lost Barron almost two years ago after chemo for lymphoma; we usually have three goldens but just have not been able to bring ourselves to adding to our family.

Llizz:  there is nothing like the love of a dog during good or bad times; they seem to know exactly what you need and hopefully all dog lovers know what their fur kids need too.  I agree with the comments out here - a little bit older pup versus a baby would probably be best for you - that way you would take care of each other vs having an "infant" in the house.  I love senior dogs, they are so patient and loving and need homes.

Lyzzysmom:  LOVE that photo, she looks so soft! 

Donna

Dogsneverlie

Introducing Bentley!

Our 14.5 year old golden boy.  He has been thru so much in the past five years:  lost his big brother Barron to lymphoma; he lost one of his kidney's to cancer; and in May had severe vestibular and almost did not pull thru but after about 8 days in the ER with no improvement, we brought him home and nursed him back to health, catheter and all (which was very scary).  He will never be the same - there is no treatment, no cure - used to be called old dog disease and is like vertigo for people.  He could not stand, could not walk, eat, go potty - his eyes darted back and forth so fast that we felt dizzy; his whole world turned upside down.

He has to wear a brace most of the time so we can help him get up, etc but as long as our boy wags his tail, we are good!

Dogsneverlie

Here is our rescue girl Bella - she is about 7 years old; she came to us when she was just about 2 years old.  It's funny how different she is from our male goldens, she is much more independent where our boy goldens always snuggled with each other; could possibly be because she is a rescue and we don't know what her life was like before she came to us but she is a sweet little girl!!!!

Spookiesmom

Spookie was already my chemo nurse when Kris came up for adoption. I couldn't pass on him, even though chemo was kicking my butt. It was hard trying for all of us to adjust, but so worth it. 

Warrior_Woman

Bentley!  Bella!  Spookie!  Miss Lyzzy!

This is one of the few places here where I can feel good.  

Lucy - My Raven Roo is a mixed breed rescue.  As a puppy she looked like a different breed each week and so we had her DNA tested.  It came back Pointer, German Short Haired, Harrier and Saint Bernard.  The Saint Bernard was a surprise but she does have that drool when she gets nervous.  LOL

glennie19

love all the dog pics!   

farmerlucy

St Bernard huh? We had Olivia's done twice w the cheap kits from Amazon. Both showed Catahoula leopard dog but a dif mix. It is a fun thing to have done.

Anonymous

Such fine looking dogs! I love this thread!

bobogirl

MMMMMmmmm *fantasizing about Toby*  What?  I am sorry -- I was not paying attention.

WW, that picture of your baby is adorable!  And the 25 pound baby that needs to be carried when overwhelmed!?  And Bentley!   I love you Bentley.  I love all these beautiful dogs.  Do not know how to post pictures, however.  You will have to imagine bobo.  Wait.  He is my avatar.  That's him on Christmas morning.  He put himself down for a nap on the couch.

glennie19

Here's Ava. This was my holiday card in 2012,, when I still had the energy to do such things.

farmerlucy

what a doll baby!!

lyzzysmom

Oh my goodness. They are all just too adorable!!! I love Ava's Holiday outfit. Spookie, Bentley, Bella and the cutest St. Bernard I have every seen!!

FarmerLucy, That sounds a definite possibility, A child's carrier. DH is actively checking out out LLBean!

DNL, Poor Bentley has had a rough time of it but as long as he is happy, thats all that matters. Lyzzy  needed metal pins in both her hind legs. After each operation she could not climb, jump, run, tug or play for over 2 months. How do you explain that to a little dog?  DH took the cushions off the couch and slept on the floor with her for a while. Now she just loves to run, jump and play frisbee.

Warrior_Woman

I want to kiss that face!